Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoashley’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Yoashley’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets; dark orange-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering about October 6 th  in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘YOASHLEY’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yoashley’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in February, 2002, in Salinas, Calif. of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M306, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Jessica, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,587, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in January, 2003. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Yoashley have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Yoashley’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Yoashley’ as a new and distinct garden Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to         obovate-shaped ray florets.     -   5. Dark orange-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering about October 6^(th) in the Northern         Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger and more         uniformly mounded than plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered later than plants of         the female parent selection when grown under natural season         conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences         than plants of the female parent selection.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the female parent         selection differed in ray floret color as plants of the female         parent selection had bronze-colored ray florets.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Florida, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parents, the cultivar Jessica, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more mounded than plants         of the cultivar Jessica.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly and         later than plants of the cultivar Jessica when grown under         natural season conditions.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Jessica         differed in ray floret color as plants of the cultivar Jessica         had yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Yosherry, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,601. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla. plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Yosherry in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of         the cultivar Yosherry.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum lasted         longer then inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Yosherry.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were lighter         in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Yosherry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonable possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Yoashley’.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Yoashley’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Fletcher, N.C. during the summer in an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 29° C. and night temperatures averaged 16° C. Plants were grown in 15-containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions and pinched about two weeks later. About two weeks after the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants used in the photographs and for the description were about three months old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar     Yoashley. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 98-M306,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent—Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar             Jessica, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,587. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten to twelve             days at temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.             Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly             mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching habit,             about five to size lateral branches develop after removal of             terminal apex (pinching) each with numerous secondary             laterals; dense and full plant habit. Strong and vigorous             growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 20 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 27 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: 147B.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 4 cm.             Width: About 3.2 cm. Apex: Rounded to cuspidate. Base:             Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral             lobes mostly divergent. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower surface. Color:             Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A;             venation, 147C. Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower             surface: 147B; venation, 147C. Petiole: Length: About             1.6 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets.             Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and             ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.             Inflorescences faintly fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower about October 6^(th) in the Northern Hemisphere. At             other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and             development can be induced under short day/long night             conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early             flowering habit; plants exposed to photoinductive short             day/long night conditions flower about 51 days later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about four weeks in an outdoor nursery.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 24 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About             1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 14B.         -   Inflorescence size: Diameter: About 3.2 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.5 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 1.5 cm. Receptacle             height: About 3 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong to obovate.             Orientation: Initially upright, then about 90° from vertical             or perpendicular to the peduncle. Aspect: Initially             incurved, then mostly concave. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width:             About 5 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous, satiny.             Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 174 arranged             in about ten to twelve whorls. Color: When opening, upper             surface: 169C. When opening, lower surface: 173C. Fully             opened, upper surface: 172A. Fully opened, lower surface:             174C.         -   Disc florets.—No disc florets observed.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 22             arranged in about two whorls. Length: About 5 mm. Width:             About 3 mm. Shape: Elliptical. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower             surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 147A.             Color, lower surface: Close to 147B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 5.3 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Angle: About 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 148A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma             color: Close to 5A. Style length: About 3 mm. Style color:             Close to 1B. Ovary color: Close to 157A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pets common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and to tolerate     temperatures from about 0° C. to about 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoashley’ as illustrated and described. 